Method and apparatus for wireless communications

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in the form of a method or corresponding apparatus for receiving or transmitting network communications carried at acoustic wavelengths via an acoustic medium. The corresponding method or apparatus may include a gate-level digital hardware module communicatively coupled to a communications module and define therein logic blocks configured to perform respective primitive processing functions, sequences of the logic blocks being capable of processing data units in accordance with any of the multiple communications protocols on a data unit-by-data unit basis without reconfiguring. According to some embodiments, the gate-level digital hardware module may be configured to process a data unit in accordance with a first communications protocol by directing the data unit through a first sequence of logic blocks, and process a subsequent data unit in accordance with a second communications protocol by directing the subsequent data unit through a second of sequence logic blocks.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A node in an acoustic network, the node comprising:
 a communications module configured to receive or transmit network communications carried at acoustic wavelengths via an acoustic medium, each of the network communications being defined by a communications protocol among multiple communications protocols; and 
 a digital hardware module communicatively coupled to the communications module and configured to process data in accordance with one of the multiple communications protocols; 
 the communications module and digital hardware module being communicatively coupled via an interface configured to enable the communications module to be removed and replaced; 
 wherein the digital hardware module is configured to define logic blocks having hardware circuitry configured to perform primitive processing functions, sequences of the logic blocks being capable of processing data units in accordance with any of the multiple communications protocols without reconfiguring the logic blocks themselves. 
 
     
     
       2. The node of  claim 1 , wherein the digital hardware module is further configured to:
 process a data unit in accordance with a first communications protocol of the multiple communications protocols by directing the data unit through a first sequence of logic blocks; and 
 process a subsequent data unit in accordance with a second communications protocol of the multiple communications protocols by directing the subsequent data unit through a second sequence of logic blocks. 
 
     
     
       3. The node of  claim 1 , wherein the communications module is a first communications module, and further comprising a second communications module, the digital hardware module being configured to be communicatively coupled to the second communications module in place of the first communications module via the interface. 
     
     
       4. The node of  claim 3 , wherein the first communications module is configured to receive or transmit network communications in accordance with the first communications protocol, and wherein the second communications module is configured to receive or transmit network communications in accordance with the second communications protocol. 
     
     
       5. The node of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second communications protocols correspond to distinct frequency bands. 
     
     
       6. The node of  claim 1 , wherein the communications module further includes a plurality of acoustic transducers, each of the plurality of acoustic transducers having respective operational frequency bands that are at least partially distinct from one another. 
     
     
       7. The node of  claim 1 , wherein the communications module further includes an interface enabling removal and replacement of an acoustic transducer. 
     
     
       8. The node of  claim 1 , wherein the digital hardware module further includes a software module configured as at least one software block, the digital hardware module configured to access the at least one software block in the first sequence of logic blocks. 
     
     
       9. The node of  claim 1  wherein the digital hardware module is configured to access a software module to process the data units before, after, or between at least two of the logic blocks within the first sequence of logic blocks or the second sequence of logic blocks. 
     
     
       10. The node of  claim 1 , wherein the digital hardware module utilizes a router defined therein to direct each data unit through respective sequences of logic blocks. 
     
     
       11. The node of  claim 1 , wherein each data unit includes a header specifying a sequence of logic blocks the respective data unit is to be directed along for processing in accordance with a corresponding communications protocol, and wherein each logic block is configured to direct each data unit to a next logic block or to an output port according to the respective sequence specified in the header of the data unit. 
     
     
       12. The node of  claim 11 , further comprising a processor communicatively coupled to the digital hardware module and configured to:
 select a communications protocol from among the multiple communications protocols, and 
 communicate application data and the selected communications protocol to the digital hardware module. 
 
     
     
       13. The node of  claim 12 , wherein the digital hardware module is further configured to convert the application data into a data unit including a header specifying a sequence of logic blocks the data unit is to be directed along for processing according to the selected communications protocol. 
     
     
       14. A node in an acoustic network, the node comprising:
 a communications module configured to receive or transmit network communications carried at acoustic wavelengths via an acoustic medium, each of the network communications being defined by a communications protocol among multiple communications protocols, the communications module including at least one acoustic transducer having a respective operational frequency band; and 
 a digital hardware module communicatively coupled to the communications module and configured to process data in accordance with one of the multiple communications protocols; 
 wherein the digital hardware module is configured to define logic blocks having hardware circuitry configured to perform primitive processing functions, sequences of the logic blocks being capable of processing data units in accordance with any of the multiple communications protocols without reconfiguring the logic blocks themselves. 
 
     
     
       15. The node of  claim 14 , wherein the digital hardware module is further configured to:
 process a data unit in accordance with a first communications protocol of the multiple communications protocols by directing the data unit through a first sequence of logic blocks; and 
 process a subsequent data unit in accordance with a second communications protocol of the multiple communications protocols by directing the subsequent data unit through a second sequence of logic blocks. 
 
     
     
       16. The node of  claim 14 , wherein the communications module is a first communications module and the acoustic transducer is a first acoustic transducer, and further comprising a second communications module including a second acoustic transducer, the digital hardware module being configured to be communicatively coupled to the second communications module in place of the first communications module via the interface. 
     
     
       17. The node of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second acoustic transducers have respective operational frequency bands that are at least partially distinct from one another. 
     
     
       18. The node of  claim 16 , wherein the first communications module is configured to receive or transmit network communications in accordance with the first communications protocol, and wherein the second communications module is configured to receive or transmit network communications in accordance with the second communications protocol. 
     
     
       19. The node of  claim 18 , wherein the first and second communications protocols correspond to distinct frequency bands. 
     
     
       20. The node of  claim 14 , wherein the acoustic transducer is one of a plurality of acoustic transducers of the communications module, each of the plurality of acoustic transducers having respective operational frequency bands that are at least partially distinct from one another. 
     
     
       21. The node of  claim 14 , wherein the communications module further includes an interface enabling removal and replacement of the acoustic transducer.